Poole Town preview: Clarets prepare for trip to Dorset

Chelmsford City return to Vanarama National League South action with a trip to Poole Town this Saturday afternoon, 3pm kick-off.

“ So I think everybody has quite enjoyed the fact that against Ramsgate we got the result.”Rod Stringer

The Clarets make the long trip to Dorset off the back of a convincing 7-0 victory in the Emirates FA Cup against Ramsgate.

The Emirates FA Cup win came as a welcomed break for City as three successive draws in the League was ended with a 2-1 defeat to East Thurrock United at the Melbourne Community Stadium.

Chelmsford’s recent form of dropping points in the League means the Clarets have dropped to fifth in the table, however only a point separates the top six teams in the National League South.

Team news

Chelmsford City’s squad is boosted by the recent signings of striker Tom Hitchcock and defenders Anthony Furlonge and Chris Smith. Furlonge appeared for the Clarets during their comfortable win in the Emirates FA Cup last weekend, while Smith is in contention to make his City debut after signing on Thursday. Winger Jonny Giles remains out after undergoing an operation on his injured knee earlier this week.

Poole, who sit third from bottom with just two wins from their eleven matches so far this season, face a number of selection difficulties early in the season. Suspension means that striker Tony Lee and midfielder Steve Devlin are both ruled out. Meanwhile defenders Shaun Cooper and Will Spetch have both been out injured recently but will be assessed before the Clarets’ visit. Luke Roberts is still undergoing treatment for an ACL injury and the Dolphins’ striker will definitely be unavailable.

The Dorset side have signed Warren Bentley and Jez Bedford from Hungerford and Portsmouth respectively, therefore the duo will be in contention to start.

View from the Camp:

Speaking ahead of the Clarets’ trip to Dorset, City boss Rod Stringer said:

“Winning games of football is a massive confidence booster,” he said. “Scoring goals and keeping clean sheets is also a booster. So I think everybody has quite enjoyed the fact that against Ramsgate we got the result.

“The expectations here are very high, I have set expectations that are high. I think everybody thinks that Chelmsford, maybe because of Rod Stringer and the players I’ve signed, that we’re going to walk it. We still have to put the application and hard work in on the pitch.

“It should give us a good tonic as we have had two training sessions to try and get people fit.”

Admission

Saturday’s match at Poole Town has been designated as the Dolphins’ ‘Pay What You Want’ fixture.

Social Media Coverage
Chelmsford City will provide live minute-by-minute coverage of the game on Twitter (@OfficialClarets) as well as live audio commentary on Radio Clarets. Post-match reports, highlights and interviews will be found on the Club Website and ClaretsTV following the match.